§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications for warrants under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 were refused in each of the last five years. [77279]
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 24 March 1999]: Records are not kept in a form which would enable the information requested to be extracted without disproportionate cost.
Each application for interception of communications is subject to careful scrutiny at a number of stages before a warrant is issued. The application is submitted by a very senior officer following scrutiny within the police force or agency concerned. Within my Department it will normally be examined by officials at various successive levels of seniority before being presented to me for approval, usually by the Head of The Scottish Office Home Department. I examine each application carefully before issuing the warrant. At any stage in this process, the case may be, and on occasion is, referred back to the applicant police force or agency for clarification or further detail. This may, and occasionally does, result in a decision that the application should be withdrawn or that a warrant should not be issued.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many warrants under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 were(a) in force on 31 December 1998 and (b) were issued during the course of 1998 for (i) the interception of telecommunications, (ii) the interception of letters and (iii) in total. [77277]
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 24 March 1999]: The Commissioner appointed under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 publishes figures on the number of interception warrants issued by the Secretary of State in his annual reports. In his report for 1998 431W (which will shortly be presented to the Prime Minister) the Commissioner will record the following numbers:
Interception warrants issued by the Secretary of State for Scotland: 1998 Number Interception warrants in force on 31 December 1998: Telecommunications 53 Letters 1 Total 54 Interception warrants issued during the course of 1998: Telecommunications 267 Letters 1 Total 268